New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Match Prediction

NZ

70%

Chance of Winning

LKA

30%

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National teams

Hagley Oval

New Zealand will take on Sri Lanka in the first Test of the 2-match series at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch from Thursday March 9. The action will kick start from 3:30 AM IST. Sri Lanka need to win the series 2-0 to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC). However, this would also not be sufficient if India manage to beat Australia in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad.

Facts

  • Kane Williamson scored a match-winning hundred in his last Test outing.
  • Neil Wagner picked four wickets to script New Zealand's one-run win against England in the last week of February.
  • Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne is top-ranked Sri Lanka Test batter. He is occupying the 10th spot.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Chance of Winning

Sri Lanka last won a Test match in Sri Lanka in 2006. New Zealand haven't lost any of their six Test matches against Sri Lanka at home. Further, New Zealand are high on confidence from their thrilling one-run win to draw the recently-concluded series 1-1.

It's been a while since Sri Lanka played a Test match outside the Asian subcontinent and they are sure to face a tough time against world-class Kiwi quicks including the likes of Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Matt Henry.

Dimuth Karunaratne (average 36.08 in New Zealand), Dinesh Chandimal (37.77) and Niroshan Dickwella (27.25) are the only three batters in the team with the experience of playing Test cricket in New Zealand. All three average below 40. All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva has played one Test in New Zealand and scored just one run.

New Zealand batting is also in safe hands in the presence of Kane Williamson, Tom Blundell, Devon Conway and Tom Latham. Sri Lanka lack experience in spin as well as the pace department. The hosts look set for an easy win to kick off the tournament.

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New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2023

New Zealand are certain of winning the 2-Test series. A whitewash is very well on the cards.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Match Toss Prediction

South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first in the last Test match at the venue in 2022 and won the match by 198 runs. In the match prior to it, New Zealand won the toss and opted to field first. They defeated South Africa by an innings and 276 runs. In the third-last match at the venue, Bangladesh won the toss and decided to field. But New Zealand ended up winning the match by an innings and 117 runs. New Zealand won the toss and opted to field in the match prior to it against Pakistan. They won the match by seven wickets. Considering the trend, team winning the toss might again look to bat second. The overcast conditions will also motivate the teams to bowl first.

Weather Report

Cloud covers are expected on Day 1 and Day 2 of the Test. A few showers also may well be on the cards on the opening two days. There are chances of rain on the final day as well. The temperature will hover around 20 to 25 degree celsius during the course of the five days.

New Zealand Player List

New Zealand Squad

Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Tom Latham (wk), Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson, Neil Wagner, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Blair Tickner, Scott Kuggeleijn

New Zealand Predicted XI

Tom Latham

Batsman

Devon Conway

Batsman

Kane Williamson

Batsman

Will Young

Batsman

Henry Nicholls

Batsman

Daryll Mitchell

All-rounder

Tom Blundell (WK)

Batsman and wicket-keeper

Michael Bracewell

All-rounder

Matt Henry

Bowler

Tim Southee (c)

Bowler

Neil Wagner

Bowler

New Zealand Team Form

New Zealand scripted a historic come-from-behind in their last Test against England. They defeated England by one run after being forced to follow-on. Latham scored 83 in the second innings, whereas Williamson slammed a hundred. Daryl Mitchell and Blundell also chipped in with 54 and 90 runs respectively. Defending 258, Wagner, Southee and Henry picked 4, 3 and 2 wickets each. The performance must have lifted the spirits of New Zealand who would look to move forward with the momentum.

Sri Lanka Player List

Sri Lanka Squad

Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Niroshan Dickewella (wk), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Nishan Madushka (wk), Kusal Mendis (wk), Asitha Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Kasun Rajitha, Dhananjaya de Silva, Ramesh Mendis, Vishwa Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Karunaratne, Prabath Jayasuriya, Oshada Fernando.

Sri Lanka Predicted XI

Oshada Fernando

Batsman

Dimuth Karunaratne (c)

Batsman

Kusal Mendis

Batsman

Angelo Mathews

All-rounder

Dinesh Chandimal

Batsman

Dhananjaya de Silva

All-rounder

Niroshan Dickwella (WK)

Batsman and wicket-keeper

Ramesh Mendis

All-rounder

Lahiru Kumara

Bowler

Vishwa Fernando

Bowler

Kasun Rajitha

Bowler

Sri Lanka Team Form

Sri Lanka last played a Test match in July 2022 and defeated Pakistan by 246 runs. Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando and Angelo Mathews - all had chipped in with the bat. Spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis were exceptional with the ball. They picked 8 and 9 wickets in the match respectively. The win carried more value as the islanders had lost the previous match by four wickets.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Aces Head to Head

The two teams have played a total of 36 Test matches against each other. New Zealand have won 16. Sri Lanka have won nine. 11 matches have ended in a draw. In New Zealand, the hosts have won 11 of the 19 matches. Sri Lanka till date have won only two Tests in New Zealand.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Betting Odds

New Zealand to win

New Zealand are the clear favourites to win the series-opener against Sri Lanka who last won a Test match in New Zealand back in 2006. Only three Sri Lanka batters have a decent amount of experience of playing Test cricket in New Zealand. They all average under 40. The bowling unit of the visitors is also very inexperienced.

New Zealand, on the other hand, are high on confidence after beating England in a one-run thriller to level the series 1-1 recently. The pace trio of Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Matt Henry would cause major problems for Sri Lanka. The batting unit is also in safe hands in the presence of Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Tom Blundell and Devon Conway.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Top Team Batsmen

Tom Blundell to be New Zealand's top batter

Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell scored 138, 1, 38 and 90 in the four innings against England recently. He finished as the highest run-scorer for New Zealand with 267 runs in two matches. He would look to score high once again. Overall, he has scored 1631 runs at an average of 45.30 in 24 Tests. He has four hundreds and 10 fifties to his name in the format.

Dinesh Chandimal to be Sri Lanka's top batter

The experienced batter scored 80 and 21 runs in his last Test outing. He is one of the three batters who have a decent amount of experience of playing in New Zealand conditions. He carries a decent average of 37.77 in the country. Overall, he has played 70 Test matches and scored 4936 runs at an average of 43.29. He has 13 hundreds to his name in the format.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka top bowlers

Neil Wagner to be New Zealand's top bowler

Left-arm pacer Neil Wagner finished the two-Test series against England as the leading wicket-taker. He paved the way to New Zealand's thrilling one-run win in the second Test by picking four crucial wickets. In total, Wagner picked 11 wickets at an average of 33.90. Overall, he has featured in 62 Test matches and picked 258 wickets at an average of 27.20.

Kasun Rajitha to be Sri Lanka's top bowler

The 29-year-old pacer has played a couple of first-class matches in the lead to the tournament. Eyes would be on him in the first Test. Overall, he has picked 39 wickets in 13 Test matches at an average of 27.92.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: New Zealand

New Zealand are the clear favourites to win the series-opener against Sri Lanka who last won a Test match in New Zealand back in 2006. Only three Sri Lanka batters have a decent amount of experience of playing Test cricket in New Zealand. They all average under 40. The bowling unit of the visitors is also very inexperienced.

New Zealand, on the other hand, are high on confidence after beating England in a one-run thriller to level the series 1-1 recently. The pace trio of Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Matt Henry would cause major problems for Sri Lanka. The batting unit is also in safe hands in the presence of Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Tom Blundell and Devon Conway.

New Zealand to win @1.27 (Melbet)

Sri Lanka to win @7 (Melbet)

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Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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